The GOP definitely wasn't kidding when, on the eve of President Obama's first inauguration, its leaders vowed in their own patriotic way to unequivocally oppose absolutely everything he attempted to pass in order to make his presidency fail.

Never mind if that promise meant voting against fair pay for their mothers, sisters and daughters. And what convoluted spin talk has emerged to justify this obscenity.

Republicans in Congress certainly have shown incredible tenacity, so I guess we can give them that. It's too bad they haven't applied it to actually helping women and all citizens of their country.

Wendy Blais

North Hills

With all the partisan rhetoric about salary equity, readers of The Times need to be reminded that the U.S. military is one of the few organizations in the world in which everyone receives equal pay for equal work.

A female sergeant will be compensated the same as a male sergeant. In the corporate world, there is often a gross inequity in CEO compensation between the sexes. However, a female general will earn as much as her male counterpart.

As Americans, we should be proud of the positive leadership our armed forces demonstrate in this area.

Marine Corps Maj. David R. Dixon

Tampa, Fla.

Republicans filibustered a Senate bill that would have ensured that women receive equal pay for equal work and that also would have banned workplace retaliation against women who discuss their pay.

Congressional Republicans have a strange view of what constitutes free speech. They think that giving money to politicians to buy their votes is free speech but that allowing women to discuss their pay at work may not be.